Electric door lock



Oct 22. 1 A. F. HOHMANN ET AL. 2,219,132

' ELECTRIC DOOR LOCK Filed Jan. 25', 1939 M J v n Patented Oct. 22, 1940 {PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC noon LOCK Anna F. Hohmann and Philip F, Hohmann,

Los Angeles, Calif. V

Application Janna-17 25.1939, Serial No. 252,799

10 Claims.

Our invention relates generally to electrically operated locks, and particularly, although not necessarily, to electrically operated locks for the door of motor vehicles and the like.

It is the purpose of our invention to provide an electric door lock which embodies electro-magnetic devices for operating a pivot locking bolt through a mechanism in such manner that according as one device or the other is energized the locking bolt will be moved to locking or releasing position with respect to a door.

It is also a purpose of our invention to provide an electric door lock of the above described character wherein means is associated with the aforesaid mechanism by which the locking bolt is urged independently of the electro-magnetic devices to either door-locking or door-releasing position, so that after being moved to either position by the respective device the bolt will re-' main in such position until moved to the other position by the other device. This mode of operation necessitates only the momentary energize.-

tion of either devices to lock or unlock a door,-

and prevents accidental movement of thebolt from either of its urged positions.

A further purpose of our invention is to provide in an electric door lock of the above described character, means by which the locking bolt can be manually actuated to lock or unlock a door from the interior of a motor vehicle so that in the event of current failure the electro-magnetic devices do not have to be relied upon to unlock the door.

Still another purpose of our invention is the provision of an electric door lock which is applicable to the center post of an automobile sedan body, and which embodies two locking bolts one for each of the two adjacent doors of the body, with a manually operable switch on the interior of the body, anda key operated switch on the exterior of the body, providing means by which the electro-magnetic devices can be energized to actuate the locking bolts simultaneously to lock or unlock the doors.

We will described only one form of electric door lock embodyingour invention and will then point out the novel features in claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l-is a view showing in perspective one form of electric door lock embodying our invention.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the a common axis by means of .a pin 26.

-21. second rod 30 of larger diameter.

line 3--3 of Fig. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on theline 4--4 of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows. 5

Fig. 5 is a wiring diagram with our electric door' lock embodied schematically therein;

Referring specifically to the drawing in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts of each of the several views, our invention in its present embodiment comprises a casing C made of sheet metal and having. an inner wall I5, an outer wall l6, and side walls I1 and I8 which con-- verge, all as best shown in Fig. 2. The casing also includes top and bottom walls l9 and 20 (Fig. 1) which are secured to the side wall II to 1 form a closed box-like structure in which all parts of the lock are contained.

The side walls I! and I8 are provided at corresponding points with openings in which a pair of locking bolts B, B are adapted to work to occupy extended and retracted position with respect to a pair of keepers. These bolts are pivotally mounted on pins 2| secured within cars 22, the latter being welded or otherwise secured to the inner sides of the walls I1 and I8, as best shown in Fig. 2. Connected to the inner ends of the bolts 13 by means of pins 23, 23 are two pairs of links 24, 24 which constitute a toggle mechanism. The upper ends of these links are pivotally connected to a head 25 so as to swing about A leaf spring 21 of inverted V-shaped form is interposed between each pair of links 24, 24 with its lower ends engaged within suitable notches 28 5 in the links so to maintain the spring against accidental displacement from between the links. The action of the spring is to urge the links outwardly at their lower ends as will be more fully described hereinafter.

The head 25 is fixed to the lower end of a rod 29, and the upper end of this rod is extended into and permanently secured to the lower end of These two rods 29 and 30 are preferably formed of iron and 5 constitute a core K for a pair of solenoids S and S'which constitute the electro-magnetic devices for actuation of the toggle mechanism.

The lower solenoid S is supported within the casing C by means of a bracket 3| to which the iron casing 32 for that solenoid is secured. Within the core opening of the solenoid is secured an iron sleeve 33 in which the core rod 29 is slidable.

The upper solenoid S is secured to the under side of the top wall [9 of the casing C by means will be clear' that in the extended position of the bolts B, as illustrated in solid lines in Fig. 3, the core K is in its uppermost position and the pivots 23 are disposed above the bolt pivots 2|. In this position of the toggle mechanism the links 24 are urged outwardly by the springs 21 so as to resist any tendency of the core K to fall and to exert such urging action on the locking-bolts as to maintain them in extended position against the possibility of accidental retraction. Movement of the core K downward causes the toggle mechanism to be moved to the position shown in dash lines in Fig. 3, thereby swinging the locking bolts to retracted position.

During this downward movement of the mechanism the pivots 23 are forced to move through arcuately reversed paths having as their centers the bolt pivots 2|. As a result, the degree of compression of the springs 21 is so increased so as to reach a maximum coincident with the pivots 23 reaching that plane defined by the pivots 2i. Once the pivots 23 pass that plane the springs expand to throw the locking bolts to retracted position, and'in which position they are maintained under the urging action of the springs against accidental movement to extended position.

From the preceding operation of the lock it will be clear that movement of the core K from its lowermost to its uppermost position, imparts a movement to the toggle mechanism reversely to that previously described, thereby again causing the springs 21 to be compressed and expanded to return the locking bolts to extended position with the same motions as when retracting them. Thus, with the bolts returned to extended position they are retained therein under the urging action of the springs.

Manifestly, the solenoids S and S and the core K provide electro-magnetic means by which the toggle mechanism can be actuated to project or retract the locking bolts according as one solenoid or the other is energized. Before proceeding to describe the circuits and switches by which electrical current is supplied to the solenoids S and S to effect projection and retraction of the locking bolts, we will describe the manner in which the electric lock is associated with one pair of doors of a four-door sedan body of an automobile.

As shown in Fig. 2, an electric lock is secured and housed within the center post P of the vehicle body, or that post between the two doors D. This post P is of conventional construction except that one side wall thereof is formed with a rectangular opening, the walls of which are provided with inturned flanges 31 to certain of which flanges 38 on the casing C are secured by means of screws 39 (Fig. 3). The opposite wall of the center post is formed with an opening 40 through which the corresponding locking bolt B is extendable.

The doors D at their confronting edges are formed with openings in which keepers 4| for the bolts B are secured by means of screws 42. It will be noted that the shape of the keepers is such as to allow of the necessary swinging movement of the locking bolts to permit the latter to occupy extended and retracted positions and to project into the keepers when in extended position in a manner to secure the door against '55 which extends through the head 25.

opening. In the retracted position of thelooking bolts they are completely removed from the keepers to allow opening of the doors, as will be understood.

In Fig. 5 we have shown the necessary solenoids for two electric locks constructed in accordance adapted to be applied respectively to the posts on opposite sides of a four door automobile body so that each lock is operable to lock the two doors at the respective side of the body.

For effecting energization of the several solenoids from a point interiorly of the automobile body, a manually operable switch T is provided and preferably located on the instrument panel. For effecting energization of the several solenoids from a point exteriorly of the vehicle'body,

a key operated switch T' is provided and located preferably in the side of the vehicle body just in advance of the one on the front doors. These switches and solenoids are included in a circuit having as a source of current the battery A of the automobile to which the locks are applied. With one side of the battery and the solenoids grounded current may be supplied to the upper pair of solenoids S or the lower pair of solenoids S from a point interiorly of the automobile body, through operation of the switch T to cause the blade 43 thereof to momentarily engage one contact 44 or the other contact 45. En-

ergization of the solenoids may be effected in a, .like manner from a point exteriorly of the automobile through operation of the switch T by the insertion thereinto of the proper key to actuate the blade 46 to momentarily engage one contact 41 or the other contact 48 of the switch. Manifestly, according as the upper solenoids or the lower solenoids are momentarily energized the four doors of the automobile are locked or unlocked.

Our invention also includes means by which the toggle mechanism of the lock can be manually actuated independently of the solenoids for the purpose of permitting manual looking or unlocking of the doors from a point interiorly of the automobile body so that in event of current failure the doors can be unlocked by the occupant.

In the present instance this manually operable means for actuating the lock comprises a lever 43 fulcrumed on a pin 50 mounted in ears 5i extending inwardly from a plate 52 secured'to "with our invention, and where such locks are the inner side or the post P by screws 53. This plate 52 bounds a suitable opening in the post the ears is an opening 54 in the wall l5 of the casing C through which the lever 49 extends for operative connection with the head 25. As shown, the inner end of the lever is bifurcated and the arms thereof are slotted to receive a pin The outer end of the lever terminates substantially flush with the plate 52, and yet it can be manually gripped to rock the lever in one direction or the other in effecting lowering or elevation of the toggle mechanism to move the lockingbolts to retracted or extended position. If it is desired the lever may be dispensed with and a screw driver or other instrument inserted into the lock casing to engage the pin 55 and manipulated to lower or elevate the head in efiecting locking or unlocking of the doors.

Although we have herein shown and described only one form of electric lock embodying our invention, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the spirit of our invention and the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A door lock comprising; a bolt pivoted to occupy locking and releasing positions with respect to a door; a mechanism connected to the bolt at one side of the pivot of the bolt so that according as the bolt occupies looking or releasing position the mechanism at its point of connection with the bolt will be caused to occupy radial positions to one side of the bolt pivot or the other; yieldable means acting to urge the mechanism at its point of connection with the bolt to eitherof said radial positions and maintaining the bolt in looking or releasing position after having been moved by the mechanism to either of said positions; and means for actuating point of connection with thebolt to either of' said radial positions and maintaining the bolt in locking or releasing position after having been moved by the mechanism to either of said positions; and means for actuating the toggle mechanism.

3. A door lock, comprising; a bolt pivoted to occupy locking and releasing positions with respect to a door; a toggle mechanism connected to the bolt at one side of the pivot of'the bolt so that according as the bolt occupies looking or releasing position the toggle mechanism at its point of connection with the bolt will be caused to occupy radial positions to one side of the bolt pivot or the other; yieldable means acting to urge the toggle mechanism at its pointv of connection with the bolt to either of said radial positions and maintaining the bolt in locking or releasing position after having been moved by the mechanism to either of said positions; and manually operated means for actuating the toggle mechanism.

4. A door lock, comprising; bolts pivoted to occupy locking and releasing positions with respect to a door; a mechanism operable to swing the bolts to either of said positions; a pair of electromagnetic devices, one for actuating the mechanism to move the bolts to door-locking'positlon, and the other for actuating the mechanism to move the bolts to door-releasing position; said mechanism including means for releasably maintaining the bolts in either of said positions even though either or both of said devices become deenergized after actuating the mechanism.

5. A door lock, comprising; occupy locking and releasing'position with respect to a door; a pair of solenoids having a common core; and mechanism connecting the core 'to the bolt for moving the latter to one of said positions or the other according as one solenoid or the other is energized; said mechanism including means for releasably ma ntaining the bolt in either of said positions after being moved thereto so as to require only the momentary energization of either one solenoid or the other to efiect such movement.

6. A door lock, comprising; bolts pivoted on ,difierent axes to .occupy locking and releasing positions with respect to a door; a mechanism operable to swing the bolts to either of said positions; a pair of electro-magnetic devices, one for actuating the mechanism to move the bolts to door-locking position, and the other for actuating the mechanism tomove the bolts to doorreleasing position, said mechanism comprising at least one pair of links pivotally connected to said devices at a common point and pivotally connected to said bolts, and a spring between the links acting to constantly urge the links outwardly.

"7. A door lock, comprising; a pair of bolts pivoted on different axes to occupy locking and releasing positions with respect to a door; a pair of aligned solenoids having a common core; links pivotally connected to said core at a common point and pivotally connected to said bolts at one side of the bolt pivots; springs between the links for urging them outwardly in a manner to maintain the bolts in either of said positions after they are once moved to either position; and means for selectively energizing the solenoids to move the core in one direction or the other whereby the links will be actuated to move the bolts to one position or the other.

8. A door look as embodied in claim 7, wherein a lever is connected to the core to provide manual means for actuating the links to move the bolts to either of said positions.

9. A door look as embodied in claim 7, wherein a casing for the lock is provided, and a lever is fulcrumed on the casing and connected to the core to provide manual means for actuating the links to move the bolts to either of said positions.

10. A door lock, comprising; bolts pivoted to occupy locking and releasing positions with respect to a door; a mechanism operable to swing the bolts to either of said positions; an electromagnetic means ior actuating the mechanism, said mechanism including means independent 3 a bolt pivoted to of the electro-magnetic means for releasably. 

